The present invention relates generally to baseball and softball bats. More specifically, the present invention relates to a collar used on the handle of a bat.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous prior art attempts have been made to improve a bat and its functional characteristics. These improvements range from various materials used in the construction of the bat to various design configurations and components of the bat.
Specifically, there have been prior art attempts to improve the handle portion of the bat, including attempts to improve the components that comprise the handle and the grip portion of the handle. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,452,889 and 5,465,967 disclose two grips used in association with bats that have variable weight capabilities using adjustable mass within the hollow portion of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,145 discloses a baseball bat having multiple grips, the upper grip permitting rotation about the inner grip in an effort to aid hitting a ball with that bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,528 discloses a friction grip used on the handles of bats having a permanent tacky feel that is respondent to heat and perspiration of a user of the bat where the grip has a plastic film at the end.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,722 discloses a bat grip device having a pair of gripping elements individually positionable upon the bat and having specific hand and finger shaped contours.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,924 discloses an artificial bat end device for temporarily adjusting the length of the bat by adding ring layers having a thickness sufficient to simulate the butt end of a bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,387 discloses a baseball practice bat having a slideable handle portion and finger locator portions molded into the handles to attempt to instruct a user in how to better hit a ball with the practice bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,218 discloses a ball bat with an inflatable grip using an inflatable tubular sleeve accepting the handle portion of the bat and allowing air to be pumped into and released from the sleeve allowing a batter to selectively pressurize the rigidity and size of the grip.
These prior art patents fail to appreciate a need to secure a standard grip to the handle portion of the bat. Currently, it is common practice to use tape in an effort to adhere the end of the grip to a handle of the bat. During the normal course of use of a bat, the traditional tape securement between the grip and the handle can experience wear and tear. For example, the tape can lose its adhesion properties and the collar can be compromised or cut by abrasions, such as rocks and sand on the playing field. Additionally, if the user of the bat decides to replace the grip, the resident glue from the tape can remain on the handle and become an unsightly mess and compromise the replacement grip, especially if the replacement grip is not of the same size as the original grip. Also, it can be very unsightly to have an expensive bat having a piece of black electric tape used to hold a portion of the bat to itself.
What is needed then is an esthetically pleasing collar used to secure the grip of a bat to the handle.